Oliver still deciding between Siena, Fairfield

Northfield Mount Hermon guard Ryan Oliver, who took an official visit to Siena this weekend, said he hasn’t committed to the Saints yet and still plans to take a scheduled trip to MAAC rival Fairfield.

Oliver said via Facebook message he’s visiting the Fairfield campus because he promised the Stags coaching staff that he would do so before he made a decision.

Oliver, a Los Angeles native, enjoyed his visit to Loudonville over the weekend, which was hosted by junior forward O.D. Anosike.

“shoutout my bro @ThaaSaintt1 (Anosike’s Twitter name) for showing me around this weekend,” Oliver wrote on Twitter. “i had an amazing time.”

29 Responses

i just hope he knows how to get to these blogs and see how much interest and fan base there is that is truly interested in the saints program vs. the interest in the stags program. i doubt very highly they have blogs like these going on during the season, let alone weeks after the season has ended.

i can’t wait for the season to start. with or without oliver, i think its going to be a very good year and the start of a three/four year run in loudonville starting with a maac championship this coming year. if oliver and another highly touted recruit came onboard now, that will just be the icing on the cake. with two incoming recruits already onboard and a very strong sophomore class, mitch now has the flexibility where he can make sure he only uses up either or both of these two available scholarships for highly rated cant miss mid major impact players. it sounds like oliver is one of these type of players.

It’ll be very interesting to read what the Mitch bashers have to say after Mitch is still coaching Siena Men’s Basketball 3 or 4-years from now and after he’s won two MAAC Championships and at least a first round NCAA Tournament game.

Of course why should we let this bother us – people bashed Fran, Paul and/or Mike too. I guess there’s always a few in the crowd.

Siena getting a new men’s basketball coach in another year; now that’s funny. I needed a good laugh today. Thank you Haddix for that brief comical moment to break up the day.

People also bashed Lanier and Orr. Year 3 is a show me year. I have no idea why you guys don’t think people are unreasonable for being disappointed with back to back losing seasons. Mitch’s first year was a D at best. His second year was probably a B+.

#4 – Mitch showed major improvement in year #2. The players bought into his and his coaching staff’s’ game plans/philosophy. Fran had an excellent #1 assistant by the name of Mitch. In Mitch’s first season, he had no “Mitch type assistant”. He remedied that by going out and finding two assistant coaches with “head coaching” experience. I don’t care if they didn’t have Div I Head coaching experience; they still had Head Coaching experience. They’re better able to assist Mitch and the players than the assistants last year. Don’t get me wrong I liked Adam and Steve and they were good assistants, but didn’t necessarily have the Head Coaching experience the new assistants have

If Mitch could overachieve with a limited squad, one can assume that he should get more wins with a full squad of players. He may not “overachieve” this upcoming year, but he should still get more wins. I’d say it’s safe to say the Team will be better than .500, but I’m an optimist.

As for Orr he was one and done at his choice. Lanier didn’t get the players to “buy into his plan”/philosophy. The only reason they won the MAAC Tournament and the NCAA game is due to the players holding a huddle (during a time out) and deciding to win it themselves. They didn’t listen to the coach and played their own game. That kind of anarchy doesn’t bode well for the coach and his ability to lead the Team (that and not being able to win games). Can’t comment on the NIT wins or his ability/inability to get those players to buy into his game plan.

When you take the “back to back” losing seasons and rationally understand the reasons, they don’t seem as bad as the unreasonable people make it out to be. Mitch didn’t have the foundation of excellent assistant coaches to help him his first season. He corrected that in Yr-2. No one could have predicted the loss of players in Yr-2, and yet the team overachieved. Those “back to Back” losing seasons don’t seem that bad.

dissappointed in the first year; absolutely. this year was pretty darn good though. concerning the circumstances both the players involved and the coaches including coach b., deserve much praise and can certainly take credit for all the positives that came from all the struggles that they went through this year.

i really like the players he has brought in and the ones coming in this coming year seem to be pretty good. od seems to be an ideal leader both on and off the court next year. if he gets these two scholarships filled with qualitty players like oliver, there is a real chance of them becoming a mid major that is part of the conversation on a national scene over the next three years. they will have never had such depth of quality players and balance with power conference size and speed and athletcism.

i think the style of play this year was very interesting to watch at times and hopefully we will see a lot more of the up tempo style and in your face full court defense and trapping next year on a more consistent basis where coach can use his depth to his advantage of playing louisville type ball on the defensive side of the ball.

yes, he made a few mistakes this year but they were things that in the end did not make much of a difference in the long run. plus he has won two first rd games in the maac and this past yr’s game against manhattan was a classic. coach even handled the media much, much better, staying away from the hated word from the previous yr. “problematic” as often as he could; thank the lord.

i thought yr one was very questionable; a d(+) at best; but this year was almost an a(+) in my book. coach will be here for at least four or more years and if he does really well for at least the next three years where siena is again on the national stage, then he will be here for 15 years.

No question Mitch needs to “proven” it. A 16-15 type of season isn’t going to cut it either. Mitch needs to get into the 18-20 win range..finish top 3 at worst 4th and contend for the tournament championship. The following season we only graduate OD- so with a Junior dominated team with Hymes/Poole/Brookins/Silas/Gomis Siena should expect nothing less than 22-25 wins and the MAAC championship and NCAA bid.

If that’s asking for too much then Siena should just change their standards. I don’t think they will.

Craig, that is absolutely silly that you would include Mitch in the same category as Fran, Paul or Mike.
– he isnt nearly as polished as either of the three
– those three have proven the ability to recruit and experience success with their own recruits.
– there has been nothing but struggles on the recruiting trail and hes been all but chased out of NY NJ PA
– the reason a SG/Wing is a struggle is because of the style of play and historical facts that show a pound it inside slow-down approach. No athletic, high scoring SG/Wing wants to be a part of that crap. It really doesnt play at the mid major level anyway.

#9 The reference to Fran Paul & Mike in #3 was to illustrate that there’s going to Siena coach bashers no matter how good the coaches’ records are. There were people that didn’t like those three and they were real good coaches.

People who bash Mitch may not fully understand what he’s accomplished (or the progress he’s made) since becoming Siena’s head coach.

Yr 1 – He learned he needed help with Assistants. He remedied that with obtaining Assistants with Head Coaching experience.

Yr 2 – Overachieve almost everyone expectations with the available players on the team.

Looking at Mitch’s first two years (while under .500) doesn’t look as bad as the Mitch bashers are indicating.

My original post was a knee jerk reaction to #2’s implying that Mitch will be gone (fired) after this next year. Not only should Mitch & the Team win more games this upcoming season, but should have a good shot at vying for a MAAC Championship (or, at a minimum the year after next if not this upcoming year).

I know I’m more optimistic than most, but the 20 – 40 negative posters on this TU site don’t speak for the 3,500+ season ticket holders. I don’t speak for them either, but the fact that there are 3,500+ season ticket holders after two losing seasons seems to point towards them supporting Mitch/the Team more so than the TU Mitch Bashers.

Craig.. how many losing seasons did Mike Deane,Paul Hewitt,Louis Orr, Fran McCaffery post at Siena? They coached here 17 years. You think they never had to rebuild. And guess again on 3,500 season ticket holders that number is dropping like a rock. Attendance is down over 15% and will drop another 15% or so next year. So far Mitch has not got the job done. His recruiting has been spotty at best and the schedule continues to deteriorate to AE or PL level as Mitch struggles for wins. In short Mitch is doing to Siena what he did to Fairfield 20 years ago running them right into the ground while so called Siena fans like you make excuse after excuse. If it was up to fans like you I’m sure Rob Lanier would still be coaching at Siena. Another weak year next year and Mitch is justifiably toast. As I always say “I might be wrong” “but I doubt it”

I’m with #7, I don’t hate Mitch, actually I like Mitch, I just don’t know if he is the right man for the job. I would be absolutely thrilled to eat my words if Mitch were to take Siena to two NCAA tourneys.

As to #9, was with you until the last sentence. Uptempo is more exciting but slow it down and pound it inside is exactly what Butler did as a midmajor to achieve unprecedented success.

Craig, you really think the 20-40 “Mitch bashers” or realists as I prefer to call them aren’t part of the 3,500+ season ticket holders?

#9, while my opinion of mitch is still open i actually want to see who he brings in and how they do, the above mentioned coaches at siena also left the cupboard bare upon leaving so their recruiting should be suspect in your opinion
again siena should never loose a recuit to most f the maac maac schools, academically , venue being played in,fan base, the other maac schools have great placement programs asone subscriber has stated here, siena does as well so lets cal placement after graduation a tie, more importantly is graduations as without doing so placment in the job market is nullified

That’s the biggest thing against Mitch. History. There are always firsts but only John Griffin posted a losing season and ended up having a successful career at Siena. And it was one, his first season. Mitch already has two. Either way this season will tell the tale. Mitch, IMHO, not only needs a winning season but a very good season (18 wins + – and Siena in the top 3)Hopefully he can do it! He did do a much better job last season but Siena expects to be a top mid-major. We expect better. The admin. has made their high expectations clear with what is invested in the program.

Lanier wins MAAC Tourney but then subscribes to players demands for more upbeat play and wins 21 the next yr with 2 NIT wins and home win over Providence. Lanier assoc head coach at Texas now..I just saw him in Nashville..last yr was on Florida staff and before Florida stint on Virginia staff. Some people must like him..I was glad to see him leave but people bash him without any facts……….if he does not recruit Tay Fisher Siena does not beat Vandy..end of discussion. Any other MAAC coach goes to NIT and NCAA in 4 yrs they have a parade for them.
This board is fun to read as so many of you are great fans and do a lot of research.

People seem blinded by “back to back” losing seasons, and can’t see how much Mitch has improved over his first year. Considering everything that happened this year, Mitch did an Outstanding job as coach. Too bad some people are blinded by the number of wins and losses.

It’ll be interesting how those people react after Mitch has been at Siena for many more years to come – including the winning seasons to come.

was just looking closer at post 15. just realized that 12 of the last 22 seasons including mitch’s first two that the program has 20(+) wins. that’s not bad at all. If mitch could put a string of 3 straight 20 win seasons together that would make it 15 of the last 25 seasons with 20(+) wins. hope you can do it mitch.

cant believe the mitch naysayers on this board think he has not done a good job recruiting when he grabs a player who at 5’8″ tall is a player he could have easily chosen to overlook. for that player to then become an all rookie type of player says mitch knows talent when he sees it and he seems to get more of the guys he is recruiting than not. how is that bad recruiting. quality with hymes and he gets both athletci african big men; not just one or none but both. how is that bad recruiting? he does not lose poole who is going to be a 1,0000 pt scorer with the coaching change. that says something. he gets rak late who also turns out to be an all rookie type of player. how is that bad recruiting. the only ? mark he has brought in is hopper and who knows if as he matures if he does not become an impact player? his recruiting is fine; including with the incoming group even if he does not get oliver or another scholarship player. having a 6’9″ player who can hit the outside shot will be a huge huge positive if indeed does show he can hit that shot on a consistent basis. if the 6’4″ #2 guard coming in shows he can get to the hoop and finish, that may just end up beig the smaller but still #3 spot none the less being filled?

second; how can you naysayers think siena could only be as good as top 3 or 4 in the maac this coming year with the players they have right now. they have the players and they havs the experience and athleticism and balance and certainly the size.

why do you think rhey will not be favored to win the maac with the combination of a deep top of the league, quality youth class in our sophomore class combined with size and an upperclass player of the league candidate.

the only position they could be lackking in is at the #3 and that is because burdine is such a big ? mark right now. i choose to think burdine will far exceed everyones lack of expectations for him. if they are to come uo shorthanded, it will probably be becuase of that #3 spot. otherwise, if burdine does come through in a big way, or they are able to get an athletic talented lanky 6’6″ or 6’7″ type of #3 in the late signing period, they are maac champions hands down.

Seriously… How about a winning season before we start saying I told you so… As many of us have said, over and over and over again! We’d be thrilled to be wrong!

I will be the first to admit I’m wrong, but you have to win!!! No Excuses! Ineligible players, transfers and a short bench are every bit Mitch’s fault, just as getting a highly sought after recruit is to his credit! Nice job!

Now do something other than have your sister, mom, bench coaches, players and every other person too close to the program to have perspective defend you on this blog!